#misogynism

If I were born in one of the 30 african and middle eastern countries where fgm is most concentrated according to the UN, my best scenario would be having my clitoris cut off without any kind of pain killer, with a razor blade that was never sterilized. They could also just decide to cut the whole thing off and then sew me shut, leaving a minuscule hole for my future "husband" to break through when he deems me worthy of his wrinkly, twice as old dick.

If I were born in Pakistan I could be one of the over 150 estimated women who get acid thrown at them annually, because their husbands (who I can assure you these women didn't marry by any real choice) threw a fucking tantrum over what they were wearing.

If I were born in America, where every 98 seconds someone is sexually assaulted, 91% of the victims being female, I could be one of the 1/3 of women who have experienced rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in their lifetime according to the New York City National Organization for Women.

So with that said, I DON'T CARE THAT I HAVE IT LESS BAD, IT DOESN'T FUCKING MATTER

I didn't choose to be born in a country where I'm kind of viewed as an equal human being by most people despite the anatomy I didn't choose to have. Those 150 estimated pakistani women didn't fucking choose to have acid thrown at their faces. The women of america didn't choose the reality they live in right now.

I was lucky to be born in Sweden. I shouldn't have to consider being treated as a living, breathing human being as something lucky just because I have a fucking vagina.

Like, I honestly think Persona 4 was okay without one. Obviously it would have been great, but Chie was such a strong female presence that she really carried it on her back. I really think she's the series model for the close female companion role in these games (Like Ann or Yukari). So she really quenches my need for a super leading femme. (I will ABSOLUTELY elaborate in another post.)

But in P5? Yeah not enough. I get that it is so much more work and occupies an extreme amount of time and labor to edit the storyline to align with a polar opposite genderbend character, but its not FAIR. Its truly undermined how "for the girls" P5 is.

With all the weird slightly misogynistic messaging that is present in the persona games, and even just japanese media (especially that of which is popularized in america), a good series that people want to stick to HINGES on strong female storylines and characters, ones that highlight strength and don't downplay and belittle the girls that suffer for it, because if you're gonna be kinda sexist, you need to make up for it and depict it as societal critism as opposed to glorified behaviours.

For instance, in P3, there's a scene where Junpei insists on picking up girls at the beach. He basically forces Akihiko, and if you're Makoto, he forces you too. The three of you get fucking WRECKED the entire time. Two of the girls snap at you to leave them alone, and when Junpei keeps engaging, one of them plays into it a bit out of pity. Her friend gets on her ass for being too nice, and tells her to proceed with ignoring them. You get shut down again and again, and the game just knocks down Junpei's pervy behavior REPEATEDLY.

As the Female protag, the entire game, you have the option to join Yukari in getting on Junpei's ass everytime he says something gross. As the only two outgoing girls who are willing to rebuke his shitty behavior, you are able to defend Fuuka time and time again when she gets uncomfortable. But as the male protag, while you can occasionally rebuke his pervy BS, Yukari takes the brunt of the job, because the only way you can consistently turn his shit down is by expressing indifference. Its made apparently clear that they need help keeping him under control.

Now think about whenever something weird happens to Ann. Mona spends the entire game falling over his own ass for her, Yusuke creeps her the fuck out and she's left alone to commence the mission by offering to be his nude model (it ends up being that he has zero interest in her and just thinks she'd be a good model, but still), and more. Akira defends her occasionally. But you cannot in confidence tell me that if there was a polar opposite femme joker, she wouldn't have shut that shit down the way Kotone does to Junpei. Yuka and Ann need the extra help because its really just them ultimately.

(Chie will sooner beat the shit out of yosuke to defend the girls around them, and therefore needs the help less)

And thats not even just it. Even if they didn't need the help. With all of these fierce female backstories-

(Yukari grappling with guilt because of her dad, Ann's SA trauma, Futaba's survivors guilt, Fuuka's parental pressure and path to being a burnt out gifted kid, etc)

-where they never stop overcoming their past for the betterment of everyone else, they need a strong support system. You can feel the difference in energy when Kotone is leading the team, putting herself aside to boost up the girls and showing the guys who's boss. It's written to show how that benefits the other girls. Think about how much more EMPOWERED Ann, Sumire, Makoto, and Futaba would be if they had a femme joker to lead and support them. And how many more wholesome interactions. I mean Futaba should totally have a really good female role model. And so should Sumire on that note.

It just feels like where they tried to give Joker at least a few moments of supporting the girls, it didn't hit the same as it would if he had a femC counterpart.

YESSSS Nicque👏🏽👏🏽